We drink a lot of sweet tea in Texas.

Sweet tea definitely turns the volume down on this heat.

I think sweet tea is a southern thing.

I don't know if people in the north tend to drink it much or not.

Down here though, if you're not drinking water, coffee, beer, or soda then you're probably drinking sweet tea.

At my restaurant we have a variety of sodas available in the fountain.

We also have caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee and iced tea and sweet tea.

Guess which one gets drank the most?

In the morning when we make the sweet tea we use an absolute boat load of sugar.

That's all sweet tea is......... regular iced tea that's got a ton of sugar in it.

The funny thing is half the people that order it add even more sugar to it.

If you taste it right after it's been made you will immediately grimace at how absolutely sickeningly sweet it is.

Yet there are people that will add 5 and 6 packets of sugar to it everyday.

It's not just that my restaurant either......... pretty much everywhere you go around here you can order a glass of sweet tea.

That includes fast food places like Wendy's and McDonald's.

I try to watch my health so I don't drink much sweet personally although I do find it absolutely delicious.

Where you're from do they drink a lot of sweet tea?

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9 ways to feel the summer in a unique way

Summer is the travel season. Summer is the season of adventures. Summer is the season of dreams. Summer is the season of flirting. Summer is the season of love. Summer is what we do!
Here are ten modest suggestions to feel the summer in a unique way:

Barefoot on the sand

"We go two barefoot, I and You, on the sand so hot we go Cold lemonade wearing you and looking for my eyes The sea brings love, brings a little sadness I want to see you on the shore I want to catch you by the hand "- so D2 sing in" Me and you "and we will agree with them because walking barefoot on the sand is a trademark of the summer.
Walking on the sand also has many health benefits because there are points on the stairs that are connected to almost all internal organs. The healing effect of walking barefoot on the sand is explained by the fact that hot sand causes blood flow and expansion of the peripheral blood vessels and capillaries, thereby improving circulation around the body.

Glimming

The latest stream in the campsite offers us to feel the summer really in a unique way.
You rest under an open sky, enjoying the soft bed and the comfort of the white sheets.
Charming Forrest tents have a large double bedroom or twin beds.

Tattoo with henna

If you want to make a tattoo, but you are not sure that you would wear it all your life, the temporary henna tattoo is right for you, and summer is the best season for making it because everyone will be able to see it.
You can experiment with a tattoo that covers your entire hands or your entire back, without worrying that you will no longer like it in time. You can also do so for a specific occasion - for example, the departure of the sea, then simply remove it.

Decoration with mussels and pans

You can keep the summer in your home all year long by decorating yourself with mussels, rope, and pebbles you found on the seashore. It takes only a little diligence and a lot of imagination.
Ideas for decoration are countless: pan, shells, shells, shells in shells or shells, decoration in a glass vessel; Frame for a picture or voluminous letters of mussels, a decorative wreath or a garland of mussels and shells, "Wind Music", funny figures, a chest of jewelry ...

Tomato, comet bread and lump of cheese

Pick up (pink) tomato from the grandmother's garden ( or bio store ), which is still warm from the sun. To tear the edge of the bread. Sip your whisper of cheese.
And to eat all this with your hands, returning to childhood and time when there were no Brussels, Himalayan salt or pesto, but the food was real and incomparably delicious.

Shallow, growth, extravagant hairstyles ...

Summer is also the best season for "experiments" with the appearance, not for any other reason, but mostly for the freedom that this season has to offer. If we want to go beyond the clichés, now is his time!
Many of the bosses are also more willing to accept a different kind of employees in the summer, so go ahead.
This appeal also applies to the strong sex, who is no longer afraid of trying different things, such as making the so-called " Male coke.

Froze

The real connoisseurs of rose can consume a pleasant drink at any time of the year - both on hot summer days and in colder weather, for example at the fireplace.
In recent years, so-called. Froze (from frozen and rosé), which can be done in different ways. One is mandatory - there must be frozen cubes rosé.
We offer you a tasty idea for a similar drink you can do at home and have a drink or treat your guests. You will be fascinated.
Necessary products:

• 1 bottle of dry rosé
• 2 glasses of strawberries cut in half
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 100 ml of vodka
• 100 ml of grenadine

The method of preparation:

1. Pour the wine into ice molds and leave it in the freezer to freeze.
2. In the blender, put the chopped strawberries and sugar and mix with a long spoon. Then add vodka, grenadine, and frozen rosewood cubes.
3. Blend, pour the drink into rosemary cups and serve. Decorate with strawberry.

Picnic in the woods

The mountain in summer is the coolest place, ideal for lazy staying under the thick shade of a century-old tree.
Or a picnic with delicious food, drinks cooled in the nearby stream and a good company. Or the cost to the nearest hut or natural landmark. Or search for healing herbs, berries or delicious mushrooms.

Do something crazy

Jumping with bungee, rafting, diving ... There are so many extreme activities that we dream of, but it still does not cling to us. What do you think if you do not do it in the summer, when?
And if you want to go even further, disable your Facebook account, at least while you're on vacation. Real life is always offline!

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There's a stray dog that's been visiting us at work.

This Saturday morning while I was at work I noticed a small dog cowering by the front porch of my restaurant.

I think he was afraid because there were several work men going around with very noisy leaf blowers blowing leaves away from the front of our restaurant.

I tried to go out and comfort him but he was wary of strangers as any stray dog probably would be.

He did not have a collar on and he was pretty dirty so my guess is that he was probably someone's dog that escaped and hasn't been home in quite some time.

This is not him.

I tried to take a picture of him but he was too quick for me.

He's definitely a Chihuahua that has been mixed with a beagle or some other small dog.

He's got a white coat but he has tan colorization all over him as well.

He's really nice looking dog.

He's come to work every day since Saturday but no one has been able to get very close to him.

He usually sits underneath the bush which is about 50 feet from the entrance to the restaurant and watches the staff as we come and go through the window.

I think he really wants a friend but he's scared.

I love dogs but I'm not sure if I can handle another one.

Nevertheless I'm going to hope he is there again tomorrow and see if I can work something out with him.

I once found a stray Chihuahua that ended up being a great dog.

If I did take him home I'm sure he would get along with my Boston Terrier because he is amazing and good natured.

I just hope he's okay and he doesn't get into any trouble out there in the wide world without anyone caring for him.

There's a stray dog that's been visiting us at work.

I'm gonna try to talk to him.

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4 Strange Ways To Gain Trust

Whether its closing that big deal or convincing your wife that you and the secretary are just going on a business trip to close that big deal, more trust is definitely something we'd like. But how do we actually increase the level of trust that others have in us? Well qualities such as sincerity, honesty and showing others respect can help develop a trustworthy reputation over the long term, but what if you don't have any time for that shit and just need to quickly trick someone into believing you're a Nigerian prince?

Yeah I feel sorry for people with only one hand as they need to find a partner with whom to do this sign

Well, you're in luck, because for a low low price of 99.95 Steem, I'll share with you 4 morally and factually questionable techniques to instantly gain the trust of people. Or you can just read the rest of this article for free. I guarantee all these techniques will sometimes work. 

Wear Blue Instead of Red

Ah, red vs blue - a rivalry as old as this sentence itself. Science has shown that people who wear blue are more likely to be trusted than those who wear red. And by 'science' I mean flimsy anecdotal groundless testimony obtained in uncontrolled groups - basically the gold standard for the definition of the word 'science' which Scientology wishes it could meet.

The color blue is generally associated with qualities of trust and reliability. If you've ever wondered why they use that blue liquid in sanitary pad ads instead of just good old fashioned period blood, that's probably your answer. And all this time you thought Stayfree was marketing exclusively to royals. And while we're here at high brow humor land I just want to share that I have the most trustworthy balls ever.

You trust her don't you? Told you it works

Show Some Weaknesses

This is by far the number 1 reason why people find it difficult to trust me: because they just can't relate to someone perfect like myself who has absolutely no flaws. Well it's either that or the fact that I'm a shameless liar.

My research has shown that actual research has shown that displaying weakness can make one appear more disarming and therefore, more trustworthy. Something as simple as mispelling words in a Steemit article can humanize you and get you an avalanche of upvotes. But don't get too carried away. When it comes to the relationship between personal flaws and trust, this isn't the case of the more the merrier. While a nervous giggle can be a cute ice breaker, chewing your toe nails is probably not the best first impression you want to give to a potential big client.

Part Your Hair From the Correct Side

Ok, this one may sound bullshit, as in even more bullshit than the rest of the stuff on this list, but it's strangely interesting in a mundane way that I'm going to include it anyway. Apparently, men are more trustworthy if they part their hair from the left and vice versa for women. Most movie heroes part their hair from the left. Shit, even Superman has a left part while his nerdy alter ego Clark Kent parts his hair from the right.

The glasses and clothes didn't fool anybody, it was the hair part that was the true disguise

Somehow we're all meant to subconsciously process how people part their hairs and form a judgement from it, which is pretty annoying for me because my crown is on the right. So parting my hair from the left makes it look like I'm doing an impression of a combover. But whatever, hopefully people will warm to my braided pubes instead.

Touch Yourself on the Chest in Conversations

Some body language experts have suggested that lightly touching your own chest from time to time in a conversation can engender an image of openness and trustworthiness, especially when you're using positive descriptive language. This automatically causes people to relate you to the positive qualities being described. I suppose the idea would be to slightly gesture towards your chest every time you utter good attributes like 'very reliable' or 'fiercely loyal' or 'not a pedophile' when conversing with others.

And before you ask, no, this doesn't work if you touch yourself elsewhere. So if you want to win people over, there's really no point in going all Michael Jackson on them when in the middle of a conversation.

 

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Nine Things I Learned From Reading A Lot Of Books

1. Empathy is one of humanity’s greatest assets. The reason that we’re able to enjoy stories is because we can easily slip into the thoughts, motivations, and lives of other humans. The origin of the word “empathy” comes from an ancient Greek word, empatheia, which means passion or physical affection. Our understanding of other people inspires passion in us, emotion. Social animals like dogs are much more intelligent than solitary animals like cats, because they have to be built to understand others. Our empathy is partially what makes us intelligent, and allows us to build society in the first place, because we can actually see other people. When you read a book, you’re empathizing, feeling passion for the characters. You’re strengthening your ability to understand others, and thus, improving the human race.

2. We filter our view of the world through our subjective experience. Nobody gets the same experience reading the same book, even though the words remain the same. Although reality itself does not change, our perception of it can. We fuse words and experiences with the flavor of our opinions and memories. That means we can change how we view reality based on new input data. That may sound simple, but it’s an extraordinary power that we as humans possess. Maybe you hate a particular character because they remind you of a cousin who used to bully you. However, later in the book their backstory is revealed which brings that character into a new light - maybe their mother died of cancer, or their father bullied them and that’s all they know. Your perception of this character then changes, even though the character hasn’t, because new information has been brought to life. In turn, this changes the way you see your hated cousin. Your cousin may still a bully, but your perception of their behavior has changed.

3. We all have inner worlds. Private inner worlds that nobody else can ever see or touch, except indirectly. Rich inner worlds full of exploding starstuff, dreams, nightmares, wishes, desires, fantasies, shadows of people we used to know or may never know. We build elaborate Our brains are only about three pounds in weight, but they contain. And because of the way our brains work, these worlds are endless. Like the infinity of the universe, we can forever build new scenarios and sensations. These are the inner worlds that fuel the books that human write. And so we’ll never run out of books to read.

4. Many of those inner worlds are full of fucked up shit, but that doesn’t make that person depraved. I think people who don’t read or write sometimes have a difficult time understanding that most of humanity has evil thoughts. Neurons fire off in the basal ganglia and we oftentimes can’t control what we think. Many of us think about impulsively jumping off of bridges or stabbing a co-worker who chews too loudly. Books are a way to explore dark urges and thoughts, and even see the humor in the depths of our inbuilt depravities. And the more you read, the more you realize that these inner depths give us an intrinsic ability to act horribly, but is rarely expressed.

5. The depth and richness of human experience is the ultimate entertainment device. Humans are navel-gazing creatures, but that isn’t really a bad thing. It’s how we learn about our species, and continue our survival. We are entertained by ourselves, and by others who are like ourselves. The definition of a story cannot exist without a character. And the character, except for rare instances, is human or anthropomorphized. Even when the story is from the perspective of a dog or rabbit, we’re entertained by the things that animal does that we can relate to. We read books to see ourselves, and understand ourselves, and be entertained by the strange thing that we are. That’s why there are no successful fiction stories about inert rocks, or a sunrise. It’s not us, and there’s no action we can relate to, so it’s boring to us.

6. What you consume shapes who you become. Reading doesn’t make you smart or knowledgeable. Reading smart books makes you smart. If you want to have a greater breadth of knowledge, you need to read in a varied way. Book snobbery can limit your scope of perspective, and fear of reading something too challenging can make you a literary anemic if you avoid certain books. And it’s not just what you read, but how you read it, that shapes you. If you read passively, without questioning the text in front of you, it won’t enable you to form your own passions and opinions. But if you read voraciously, with a curiosity and a skepticism (You can also learn how to read like this by reading books about this topic), then it will teach you about what interests and ignites you, and what you should outright reject.

7. Reading books teaches you patience, and gives you power. I know this has said before a million times, but when you read you have to actively work to imagine what is going on. And it can take several hours or days to read a book, which requires you to learn how to sustain attention. This takes a patience, but also a willful deliberation to turn away from distraction, plug into the book, and feed your brain words that you must transform into images. And after enough practice, this inner strength and resolve improves over time, and carries over into other areas that require focus.

8. I never have to be bored. When I was a child I’d carry a book around with me wherever I went, often several books with me, for it was almost unbearable to be bored. I’d read when I was eating dinner or in the bathtub, much to the chagrin of anyone trying to get my attention. As I got older and it became less socially acceptable to read books all the time, I stopped, but I still kept up the habit of having one near by at all times. Now thanks to ebooks and the Internet I hardly ever have to worry about running out of things to read. I’ve found things now that entertain me outside of books, but it was books that made me realize I am the arbiter of my own entertainment. It’s my responsibility to find fun and enjoyment in things, not the world’s to provide it for me. And when I plug into a book,and begin to ride the wave of the story, I realize just how much depth and richness I can find inside interior spaces.

9. Objects aren’t important, it’s your thoughts and memories that are important. I lost most of my books when I was younger, and that’s happened to me several times over my adult life. I know there are many readers who cherish the physicality of books - their smell and their weight - and keep them as collections. But losing all my books made me realize it wasn’t the books themselves that were important, but what they gave me, and what I still keep, inside my head. Now, most of my books are in digital format, but I’m not losing much when I lose the physical object. (At least, if I’ve already read the book.)

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Why do some people absolutely drench themselves in perfume or cologne?

Have you ever stood next to somebody that was so completely soaked in fragrance that you actually smell like that same fragrance simply by being near them?

Something like this happened to me today so I thought it would be a good thing to post about.

Standing in the meat section of the grocery store, I slowly walk by attractive young woman who smells quite strongly of berries and flowers.

As she walks off I noticed that I can still smell the berries and flowers quite strongly a few minutes later.

Getting into my car I realize I am absolutely covered in the that flowery scent.

Perhaps she put perfume on just before I walked by........ I suppose that is possible.

Here's another example.

I used to work with a guy named Kenny.

Every morning he would walk into work smelling like a bottle of cologne.

It was good cologne too........ not the cheap stuff, and he had about a dozen different bottles.

He told me he felt like it was a waste to just put on a squirt and then not have everyone smelling him.

I guess he did not understand that cologne is supposed to be subtle.

We don't really live in a subtle world these days though, and subtle can sometimes mean understated and unheard.

I think Kenny was wanting to make sure that his presence was known by wearing so much cologne that people would look at him and say

"Wow...... that guys wearing cologne."

I honestly think that's why people wear so much........ because they want to turn heads.

They must not realize that they are turning heads for all the wrong reasons.

Do you know anyone that drenches themselves in perfume or cologne thinking that they smell good and not realizing that they smell like a giant bottle of stench?

Well I think I came up with a good phrase for it.

Nose pollution.

I bet you know someone like this.

Why not upvote this post and then tell me all about it?

Why do some people absolutely drench themselves in perfume or cologne?

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A Jeezzle Movie Review: The Forbidden Kingdom.

If you're looking for a good family friendly martial arts adventure then The Forbidden Kingdom is for you.

I am a huge fan of kung fu flicks, especially the older stuff by The Shaw Brothers.

I also love ninjas, samurai, and all different kinds of martial arts.

The Forbidden Kingdom is something really unique because it is a family friendly martial arts adventure starring two very well known martial artists.

Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

Jackie Chan and Jet Li have both been in a bunch of movies and they have very different fighting styles.

While Jet Li focuses on precise acting and precision moves Jackie Chan tends to focus more on comedy although he is a great fighter as well.

It's really cool to see Jackie Chan and Jet Li fight together even though they're on the same side because you can compare and contrast their fighting styles.

Jet Li uses his typical somber but powerful techniques while Jackie Chan uses a Drunken Master Style.

What's the plot?
A young boy named Jason is a huge fan of kung fu style Chinese movies.

He is constantly visiting an old Chinese man that rents or sells these movies.

One day the old man is attacked by some thugs and somehow Jason is transported to a mystical world while holding a golden staff.

It turns out that the golden staff once belonged to The Monkey King and he was turned to stone by the Jade Emperor.

The staff will revive The Monkey King because he is immortal but the seeker needs to bring it to him.

Jason is the seeker.

An adventure team is formed and they set off to save The Monkey King.

This is a great adventure movie that is completely family friendly except for a few splotches of red blood but it is really barely there at all.

This movie is done in the Wuxia style which basically means people can jump up and fly a little bit and do all kinds of mystical and magical stuff.

It's fun to watch.

How long is it?
The movie itself is 1 hour and 44 minutes long.

It goes by really fast though and there are not really any slow parts to it.

If you watch it with the family you shouldn't have anyone fidgeting or being uncomfortable because there are constant action scenes to keep everyone happy.

It should be noted as well that there are several nice looking women in this movie but no one takes their clothes off so that is not an issue either.

How does this movie compare to other martial arts movies?
Well this movie is a mystical adventure in which a young boy is transported to a magical land where he has to save The Monkey King.

So it's not really your typical martial arts movie for a couple of reasons.

Actually it's more like an adventure movie that has a lot of great martial arts in it and also it's a movie that allows us to compare Jackie Chan's and Jet Li's fighting styles.

It has a lot of lush scenery and it is a really pretty movie.

I stated earlier that I really like the early Shaw Brothers Kung Fu flicks.

This is really nothing like those because this is a grand adventure and not really completely focused on the fighting but more on the story of finding The Monkey King.

Everyone knows that Jackie Chan tends to keep things family friendly and I really got the feeling that because of him they went really light on things like blood and stabbings.

That's a good thing because it makes it accessible for everyone.

If you're looking for a good family friendly martial arts adventure you can't do much better than The Forbidden Kingdom.

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Do you drink tap water or bottled water?

Everyone that I know drinks bottled water

I drink bottled water myself because I think it tastes a lot cleaner than the water that comes out of the tap at my house.

Now I've been to a few people's houses that had tap water that tasted nice and clean.

The water in my house tastes a little bit chalky and I notice that I tend to get an irritated throat when I drink it.

The water at my mom's house tastes fine though and they always drink it from the tap.

There's obviously been a great trend in people drinking more bottled water and you see a lot of people that say that tap water is just as good.

I think it probably has something to do with how clean your pipes are.

The water from this house just doesn't taste good but it tastes fine at my mom's house and at my job.

At least it always used to taste fine at my job until this week.

Lately at work the water has been tasting very much like dirt.

It's one of those things where you want to ignore the problem and hope that it goes away but it probably won't.

Starting a few days ago some of our customers decided that they didn't like the taste of our tea anymore.

Others started complaining that the water had a noticeable dank taste to it.

I can taste that in the water myself but I feel like over time that taste is actually going away.

It's possible there was something that has been cleared up now.

No one got sick so it doesn't seem to be anything to worry about and I think most people were probably just over complainers, but it does give a lot of room to think about bottled water.

Bottled water sometimes tastes like plastic but it rarely ever tastes like dirt.

It can be expensive though especially if you drink a lot of water like I do.

Do you drink tap water or bottled water?

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I remember the first time I ever saw the Nintendo Entertainment System.

My friend Jonathan and I were playing in a field when a young boy ran up to us.

"Sebastian got a Nintendo! Sebastian got a Nintendo!"

Sebastian was a friend of ours who had cerebral palsy so he didn't play around and explore the neighborhood with us.

We would go over to his house on occasion though to play and read comics or go swimming.

He would stand in the water by the edge of the pool but not actually swim very much.

On this particular occasion Jonathan and I were hitting a tree with a stick in order to make the little Cicada shells come off.

You know........ the shells that they leave behind after they molt or whatever it is that they do. Well we used to collect those shells. I still think they're cool.

Of course I barely knew what a Nintendo was at the time. I had heard rumors but we lived in a completely different world.

There was no internet and the only way to find out information like this was to experience it firsthand.

Despite this, we looked at each other after hearing the news with excited expressions and we ran towards Sebastian's house as fast as we could.

Knocking on the door we frantically asked if Sebastian could play.

His mom let us in and we went into his room. He was sitting on the floor playing a game we had never seen before.

It was Super Mario Brothers and it was the most glorious thing I'd ever looked at.

You see, growing up I had an Atari 2600 and I used to play it everyday.

Most of the boys and some of the girls in the neighborhood would come over and we would have competitions playing the Atari 2600.

After that we would go run around and play tag and other children's games.

I had never laid my eyes on anything like this though.

The graphics were like something straight out of the arcade.

The music didn't sound like it came from a little plastic box either.

It also sounded like it came straight out of the arcade.

We played for hours and hours and even though we got to Sebastian's house around 4 in the afternoon it must have been after 8:30 when we left because it was dark outside.

In those days you knew it was time to come home when you heard your mom yell your name and it echoed through the neighborhood.

Since we were inside we couldn't hear our parents yelling and they were not to happy with us when we got home.

I'll never forget that first day playing Super Mario Brothers.

I'm sure part of the experience was the game system itself and most of it was being a young child and seeing the world through a young child's eyes.

It was an experience I'll never forget.

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